A community sample of 111 women's retrospective reports of
childhood sexual abuse was examined in an effort to understand the
circumstances and coping strategies that mediated the immediate and
lasting effects of those stressful experiences. Aspects of single or
multiple abuse incidents were captured in 11 variables, each
reflecting 1 of 3 domains: circumstances of abuse, mediators, and
outcomes (the negative effects of abuse). Observed variable
simultaneous path analysis models revealed several direct and mediated
influences on the outcomes. Long-term negative outcomes of abuse were
directly affected by a close relationship to the perpetrator and
severity of abuse from the circumstance of abuse domain, and immediate
negative responses, self-blame, and nondisclosure regarding the
incident from the mediational domain. The importance of examining
factors that mediate the negative effects of child sexual abuse is
discussed.